A Year's Journey through France and Part of Spain, Volume II (of 2) eBook

The disorder which carried off so many last winter
at Lyons, was called the Gripe. In a large
hotel only one person escaped it, an English Lady.
They called it the Gripe, from the fast hold
it took of the person it seized; nor did it let them
go till April.

On my way here, I found it sometimes extremely hot;
it is now the first of May, and I am shaking by the
side of a good fire, and have had one constantly every
day for this fortnight.

LETTER XLIII.

LYONS.

The Lyonoise think their town was particularly
honoured by the Taurobolium; but it was a common
practice to offer that sacrifice not only for the
Emperor’s health, but for the preservation of
a city. There are two of these altars in the
town of Letoure; one consecrated for the preservation
of the Emperor Gordian, on which is the following
inscription:

The most ancient money which has been found in and
about this city, is the little coin of Mark Antony;
on one side of which is represented the Triumvirate;
on the other, a Lion, with the word Lugudani
under it; on each side of the Lion are the letters
A and XL. The antiquarians here think those letters
marked the value of the piece, and that it was about
forty sous; but is it not more probable, that
this was only the mint-master’s touch?

Nothing can be a stronger proof of the importance
of this city in the time of the Romans, than the immense
expence they were at in erecting such a number of
grand aquaeducts, one of which was eighteen leagues
in length; many parts of them are still visible; and
it appears that they spent for the reparation of them
at one time, near one thousand talents; and
here it was that the four grand Roman highways divided;
one of which went directly to the sea, and another
to the Pyrenees.